Bestselling author Vikas Swarup may be next MEA spokesperson

Vikas Swarup, an Indian foreign service officer of the 1986 batch and author of the hugely successful novel Q & A on which the Oscar winning movie Slumdog Millionaire was based, is likely to become the next spokesperson of the external affairs ministry.

Vikas Swarup, an Indian foreign service officer of the 1986 batch and author of the hugely successful novel Q & A on which the Oscar winning movie Slumdog Millionaire was based, is likely to become the next spokesperson of the external affairs ministry.

However, a final decision is still awaited. Swarup may replace Syed Akbaruddin, the low-profile incumbent of the spokesperson’s office since 2011 who earned appreciation for how deftly he handled the media and was lapped up by successive governments.

Akbaruddin, who also served in International Atomic Energy Agency on deputation, is expected to be posted as the country’s envoy to the UN Mission in Geneva.

Swarup, currently posed as joint secretary (United Nations — political), had been posted to various countries such as Turkey (1987-1990), the United States (1993-1997) Ethiopia (1997-2000), the United Kingdom (2000-2003) and South Africa (2006-2009).